WHAT I KNOW ABOUT GARDENING. 59 



ing, the blowing, the podding! What a touch- 

 ing thought It was that they had all podded for 

 me! When I went to pick them, I found the 

 pods all split open, and the peas gone. The dear 

 little birds, who are so fond of the strawberries, 

 had eaten them all. Perhaps there were left as 

 many as I planted : I did not count them. I 

 made a rapid estimate of the cost of the seed, 

 the interest of the ground, the price of labor, 

 the value of the bushes, the anxiety of weeks of 

 watchfulness. I looked about me on the face of 

 Nature. The wind blew from the south so soft 

 and treacherous ! A thrush sang in the woods 

 so deceitfully! All Nature seemed fair. But 

 who was to give me back my peas ? The fowls 

 of the air have peas ; but what has man ? 



I went into the house. I called Calvin. (That 

 is the name of our cat, given him on account 

 of his gravity, morality, and uprightness. We 

 never familiarly call him John.) I petted Cal- 



